Description
"This essay offers an analysis of Barack Obama’s official announcement speech of 2007 and his definition of ‘‘change.’’ Contrary to critics who have separated ‘‘vernacular’’ and ‘‘elite’’ strands of republican philosophy, I argue that Obama’s ‘‘change’’ rhetorically combined these frameworks into a threefold appeal for political leadership: the expansion of collective freedom, the necessary participation of citizens in public affairs, and the centrality of speechifying to political leadership. Understanding this characterization of change allows better comprehension of Obama’s transition from politician to presidential candidate within his situational constraints, as well as the distinctive public memory attributed to Abraham Lincoln throughout the announcement speech." - Author's abstract
Publication Date
11-1-2014
Publisher
Routledge
Keywords
Communication Studies, Faculty Works, Scholarship, Presidents, Politics
Department
Communication Studies
Recommended Citation
Gaffey, Adam J., "Obama's Change: Republicanism, Remembrance, and Rhetorical Leadership in the 2007 Presidential Announcement Speech" (2014). Communication Studies Faculty Works. 23.
https://openriver.winona.edu/communicationstudiesfacultyworks/23
Unique Identifier
WSUCMSTFACWORKS-2014a-Gaffey-ObamasChange.pdf
